


i wanna see you be brave

by ephemerality



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Gen, M/M, akayonagiftexchange2017, for solomon-and-hiryuu, happy holidays!!!!, here have some jaeki fluff, i honestly don't even know what happened here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 14:10:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13148316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephemerality/pseuds/ephemerality
Summary: The point is: Jaeha'shands.





	i wanna see you be brave

**Author's Note:**

> written for the @akayonagiftexchange and dedicated to @solomon-and-hiryuu  
> happy holidays everybody!!! <3

This, he thinks idly, might be the closest they've ever been. Jaeha's hand is flat on the ground, inches from him, fingers long and delicate, stretched in his direction. He tries not to stare.

It's funny, because of all the things about Jaeha that attract his attention, he had never once thought it would be his hands. After all, the rest of Jaeha is quite lovely too, from his head to his toes, and Kija has always been quite partial his body (and his personality as well, though he'd rather jump in a ditch full of bugs than admit it). He fills out his robes in ways that make Kija squirm, and his _legs_. His dragon leg is stretched out towards the campfire, the other crossed so his foot rests by the opposite thigh. Kija really likes his dragon leg. He feels like, with his dragon arm, they match, their identities always on display, the way the Shin-ah and Zeno's aren't. He used to feel out of place, but not so much anymore.

But. He's getting off topic here. The point is: Jaeha's _hands_.

He's talking to Yona right now, across the fire, although Kija has no idea what about. Hak throws in his two cents from Yona's side, and Jaeha laughs, leaning his head back, shifting his weight slightly, moving his hand so he doesn't fall over. Kija thinks it might be a centimeter closer than it was before. The firelight dances on his skin, highlighting the fine lines of his face, casting shadows with his eyelashes that makes him attractive in a way he's never been before, and Kija _burns_.

Yun asks him if he's alright, and he blames it on the heat of the fire, despite being several feet away.

It only goes downhill from there.

Jaeha's hands continue to distract him. It's like now that he's noticed them, he can't seem to stop. Jaeha punches someone, and he is in awe of the way such gentle hands can do such damage. Jaeha fusses over Shin-ah's fur and Hak's hair before they go into town, and warmth builds in his chest. Jaeha removes an orange peel in one long strip and Kija studies the way his hands curve around the fruit, the movement of his fingers.

Jaeha walks beside him, hands at his sides, his right a breath away from Kija's left, and Kija cannot focus on the world around them.

Jaeha's nails have gotten long, like the claws on Kija's dragon hand, and he can't be bothered to cut them, despite nearly poking his own eyes out on several occasions, and one very dramatic fight where he completely lost his shit after an assailant broke one of them. Yun sighs about them a lot, and how much easier it would be to just cut them. Kija rather likes his nails, though. He watches Jaeha scratch Ao's belly on the other side of the fire, and for the first time in his life he realizes that he's jealous of a squirrel. What has this world come to?

Yona sits next to him at dinner, and normally he wouldn't think anything of it but then Hak sits on his other side and oh _god_ they're _meddling_.

Hak grins evilly at him. Yona rubs her hands together in a terrifyingly gleeful manner. Kija's beginning to see why they make such a good couple.

"So, Kija," Hak announces, quite loudly and with a great amount of sadism. "You and Jaeha have been getting along quite well."

"Oh, yes," Yona agrees, just as loudly and with every bit as much sadism if not more. "You're becoming quite close."

Across the fire, Zeno gives them a thumbs-up. Kija buries his burning face in his hands. He should've known.

"I don't meddle with your relationship," Kija begs quietly. "Please don't meddle with mine."

"We're not meddling," Yun tells him matter-of-factly, and Kija stifles a scream because when the _hell_ did he get so _close_? "You don't have a relationship for us to meddle with yet. We're helping you get one so we can actually meddle."

Across the fire, Shin-ah nods sagely, because of course he's in on it and listening to everything. Who isn't in on this?

Jaeha, apparently. He looks mildly confused as to why they're all crowding Kija, but Ao jumps in his lap, effectively distracting him. It warms him from the inside out, watching Jaeha be so gentle and sweet, and it must show on his face because Yona coos and latches onto his dragon arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You really like him, huh?"

Because it's Yona, he tells the truth. "Yeah, I really do."

"He really likes you too, you know."

They both continue to openly stare at Jaeha. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I really do."

He smiles despite himself. "Well if you say so, it must be true."

She bumps her knee against his, but she's smiling too. "You should tell him, Kija."

He shakes his head. "I don't know." He can't risk the chance that Yona's wrong. That Jaeha doesn't feel the same. It would hurt him too much, it would be too awkward to be around him. And even if Jaeha does feel the same, their relationship could affect their duty to protect Yona. She is the most important person to protect. If there ever comes a day when he instinctively moves to protect Jaeha instead of Yona, and something happens to her, he could never forgive himself.

_ But you can't stop your feelings, can you? And you already feel that way. _

"Kija," Yona whispers, and there's something like acceptance in her voice that makes him tear his gaze away from Jaeha to look at her. "I understand. It's okay. It's okay to love someone more than me."

Beside him, Hak, who he'd forgotten was there, murmurs, "Denying it won't change anything. You've already made your choice, so don't try and pretend you haven't."

Next to Jaeha, Shin-ah sends him the tiniest of smiles. Across the fire, sitting by himself, Zeno gives him a thumbs-up. Yun helpfully hands him an apple. He sighs. At least they're trying.

"Okay," he murmurs to Yona. "I'll tell him."

She kisses his cheek with a smile, then stands and moves to sit on the ground by Jaeha. She murmurs something that makes green eyes flicker to Kija for a moment, and then he nods, expression unreadable. Yona kisses his cheek and stands with a loud, clearly fake yawn. "Golly am I tired," she announces to anyone who's paying attention, which is really just Hak. "Let's go to bed, shall we?"

She skips off to the sleeping rolls, and Hak follows, dragging Zeno with them. Yun and Shin-ah take Ao and disappear to the nearby stream to wash the dishes. And then it's just the two of them. Jaeha meets his eyes with a small smile.

Kija doesn't know why he blushes, but he decides to pretend like he's not and maintains eye contact with Jaeha. He is the white dragon warrior. He can do this. Jaeha's eyes soften.

"That's why I love you," he says, and under any other circumstances Kija might have fainted, but there's something in Jaeha's voice, something that keeps him centered in the moment and grounds him to reality and makes him _believe_.

"What's why?" he asks, surprising himself. Jaeha laughs softly and leans back on his hands.

"You're not fearless," Jaeha murmurs, "but you don't let that stop you."

"I let bugs stop me," Kija blurts out, and Jaeha laughs again. He's really on a roll here.

Jaeha shakes his head. "You're scared of them," he corrects. "You don't let them stop you. It's not bravery if you're not scared."

And that's what it comes down to in the end. He's so scared. He's terrified. He's so afraid try this, to be in a relationship, but he wants it, desperately.

"That's why I love you," Kija says, meaning every word, and Jaeha falls over.

He wishes he could say it was a figure of speech, except he watches in something akin to horror as Jaeha's hand slips out from underneath him and he actually fucking falls on his face. Jaeha struggles upright and looks at him, completely embarrassed, and his hair mussed, and it's the funniest thing Kija has ever seen in his life.

He covers his mouth with his human hand, attempting unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter. It shakes his entire body, and he grabs at the log he's sitting on with his dragon hand to keep from falling over too. Jaeha stares at him, embarrassment fading into wonder, the tiniest of smiles spreading across his lips. Kija really likes those lips. He wants to go over and kiss those lips, but his brain is still working through the fact that he confessed his feelings and Jaeha _fell over_.

"God, I love you," he gasps out, because his filter has apparently buried itself six feet under and shows no signs of ever returning. "Only you would--you _fell on your face_ \--" He gasps for breath as Jaeha's mouth drops open. " _I told you I loved you and you fell over_."

Jaeha sputters at that, but he's smiling. "You surprised me, that's all!"

"I didn't fall over when you said it!" Kija takes a deep breath, trying to calm his laughter.

Jaeha sighs, still smiling, and crawls over to Kija, pulling himself up to sit on the log next to him. "Tell me again."

"But I already told you twice!"

"So?"

"So?" Kija waves his human hand around, since it's not doing any good suppressing his laughter. "You only told me once, and I told you twice. How is that fair?"

Jaeha rolls his eyes, but his smile is ridiculously wide now. "Okay, fine. I love you. I love you. There, I told you three times now and you only told me twice, how is that fair?"

Kija tries to respond, but he just can't stop laughing. Jaeha cups his face with hands that seem careful and controlled, but when they touch his skin, Kija can feel them trembling slightly. It's enough for him to calm his laughter and meet Jaeha's eyes. There's a hurricane of emotions in them, and somehow they reassure Kija. Jaeha is just as nervous as he is.

"Tell me again," Jaeha whispers. "I won't fall over this time."

He reaches up with his human hand to touch Jaeha's face. Jaeha leans into his hand. "I love you," Kija tells him solemnly.

"Can I kiss you?" Jaeha asks, which. Just. Melts Kija's heart, honestly. Sometimes he forgets how much of gentleman Jaeha is.

"Yes," Kija breathes, and closes his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> i'd say come say hi on tumblr but i'm too lazy to put in the link so come say hi here i guess <3


End file.
